Pender Harbour Hiking Group

The Pender Harbour Hikers are now into their eighth year and boast over fifty members in this small community of 2500 residents. The group schedules morning hikes twice a week, year round, on trails throughout the Sunshine Coast community and has recently created a Facebook page to share members’ photos and experiences, Pender Harbour Hikers.

The hiking club evolved out of a Nordic pole walking clinic, called Walkabout Pender Harbour, put on by the Pender Harbour Aquatic and Fitness Center in Summer 2009. The clinic introduced the participants to the use of poles for walking and to the many trails in the Pender Harbour area. After the clinic completed in the Fall 2009, a small group of dedicated walkers decided to carry on meeting once a week and once the new Suncoaster Trail opened, expanded the schedule to twice a week to explore the new/upgraded trails. The group has now moved from walking the ‘easy trails’ in the area to exploring the more challenging trails and mountains up and down the coast. There have been many positive remarks from the members about their increased level of fitness over the many months they have been hiking. Recently, a second group, the Ramblers, has been formed to accommodate those hikers who prefer a later start time and slower pace.

The PH Hikers have assumed the role of “stewards of the forest” and clean up and clear trails while out hiking. They recently received a large grant from Community Forests to erect trail map kiosks and install signage throughout the forest in the area.

The focus on fitness and outdoor recreation on the Sunshine Coast has certainly contributed to the formation and continued activity of the Pender Harbour Hikers and Ramblers. The many publications including Fat Tires & Walking Sticks: A Pocket Guide to “Some” Pender Habour Trails (sponsored by Rotary Club of Pender Harbour); the Sunshine-Coast-Trails website and the Trailmapps app are all used to identify trails and plan the hiking schedule.

It is gratifying to see that a clinic put on by the Aquatic and Fitness Centre can inspire a group of people to organize themselves to form a club and continue their dedication to health and fitness.